Tie straps are widely known and used in industry. They are used for many purposes to combine or bundle objects together such as a bundle of wires.
Representative of the art is U.S. Pat. No. 5,377,510 (1995) to Smith which discloses a tie strap having a free end and a lock end. The lock end has a ratchet with a set of engagable teeth which engage teeth in the tie strap. The free end of the tie strap is threaded through the lock end to a desired tightness around the bundle to be tied. Security use for handcuffs is disclosed. For opening, a separate key is inserted in the lock end to release the ratchet thereby enabling the free end to be pulled out of the lock end.
Also representative is the releasable tab cable tie, U.S. Pat. No. 4,236,280, which discloses a cable tie having a tab for releasing the tie strap. A lock end has a tab with a ratchet tooth. The ratchet tooth engages ribs on the tie strap when in use. To release, the tab is rotated back on a hinge attached to the lock end causing the ratchet tooth to disengage from the ribs allowing the tie to be released and removed. This device requires both hands of the operator to release it when locked and it may slip when loaded in the operating position.
Other representative art is:
U.S. Pat. No. 5,544,391 (1996) to Hoffman discloses a tie head for use with elongated plastic strap.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,511,288 (1996) to McAndrews et al. discloses an adjustable loop clamp for improved retention of electrical cables, tubes, or hoses.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,271,127 (1993) to Christensen discloses a tie down device for securing a load.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,993,669 (1991) to Dyer discloses an improved cable or bundle tie arrangement including a plastic tip strap and a tie head.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,572,466 (1986) to Yamaguchi et al. discloses an anchor leg with an elongated projection and a resilient harness clip for engagement with a projection.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,570,303 (1986) to Richmond et al. discloses a clip for releasable attachment to a stud having a screw thread or annular ribs comprising a mount, which is elliptical in cross-section and has transverse flanges on its long sides to engage the thread or ribs of the stud.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,047,268 (1977) to Buttriss discloses a worm gear clamping apparatus including a molded, one-piece worm-gear drive head and strap assembly, the end of the strap oppositely disposed from the worm-gear drive head defining partial internal thread on its outward surface.
Generally, tie straps cannot be released and reused once they have been fastened. The prior art tie straps generally require the operator to use both hands to release the tie strap. They also tend to slip when under load. Further, tie straps which are releasable are generally complex and require a plurality of parts to function such as Smith's device noted above. Consequently, they are relatively expensive and are uneconomical for most repetitive use applications. The present invention addresses these shortcomings by supplying a finger-operated release head as an integral part of the lock end of a tie strap. It also provides a releasable tie strap which does not slip under pressure.